Alumni Spotlight | M the Myth

performance art | performing
FALL 2019

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

M the Myth

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Revolutionizing Live Performance

M the Myth, or M for short, is a TAPS graduate from 2013. They are a genderqueer pop artist who explores gender identity, sexuality, and self-empowerment in their music and live performances. M is now known for their vocal prowess, avant-garde visuals, and highly stylized shows integrating film, music, fashion, and dance. Born and raised in California's Central Valley, M is an androgynous, abundant expression of life. Now based out of NYC, they have solidified themselves in the New York City avant-garde as a musician revolutionizing live performance. Bright costumes, dramatic makeup, and heartfelt choreography bring an undeniable air of radiance to their live shows.

M is currently managed by Blonde Artist Management, a company they co-founded. Their sophomore EP "Holy Stoner" was released in August 2018 and was featured on Deer du Bois, a playlist on Spotify highlighting queer music. Music Connection Magazine described their music as having "unabashed hookability" and rated their songs with a 7.8/10. The music video for "Let's Get Drunk Anyway" was featured on the front page of LGBTQ Music Charts.

M is currently working on their latest single "Speed of Life" set for a 2019 release. This past June they organized a remembrance party for the third year anniversary of the massacre in Brooklyn, NY. They have also used their performances to raise money for the Audre Lorde Project, Inc., a New York-based organization for gender variant people of color. M the Myth is a queer pop icon changing the world one wig at a time.

What are you currently doing?

I am currently working on my debut album as well as a tour entitled, "Him to Them." The tour is an intergalactic space opera exploring the story of my gender identity transition and it integrates film, fashion, dance, and theater. "Him to Them" was awarded the Stanford Alumni Arts Grant earlier this year. Set in the future of an alien spirit galaxy, the show bends gender norms through visuals, movement, and sound. I'm also working with the company, Blonde Artist Management, as both an Artist Liaison and a client. We are preparing for our Fall Showcase on November 19th at Pianos in New York City. I co-founded the company in 2015 with Rebecca Autumn Sansom.

What does Theater and Performance mean to you now?

Theater and Performance mean everything to me, now more than ever. It's the most consistently inspiring part of my life. It is the space where anything can happen and the possibilities of what could be, feel endless. I've seen and participated in performances that have shocked and terrified me, have changed my life, and have propelled me deeper into my own artistry. It is the creation of life and the sharing of that life with the world. My existence is Theater in every way. It is an intentional energy that fuels my experience of vulnerability and expands my life. Theater and Performance are where the future happens and where I feel at home. Theater is a place of constant change that has always shown me what is means to be human.

What advice do you have for current students?

I'd encourage you to start making your work now. Start exploring who you are and whatever that means to you. Share yourself and your ideas with the world. Stanford is an incredible resource for your creativity. Use those resources to support your creations. Let your life and art be as expansive as you want it to be. You are worthy, and the world needs you. Advocate for yourself, love yourself. Rejection is a "Yes" in another direction. Follow your bliss.